Begins With A Single Step!
by somekindof-salvation
Summary: As Brianne moves into Littleroot Town in Hoenn, little does she know that her life is about to be turned upside-down. From the cute next door neighbour to getting her very first Pokemon, she will be drawn into a whirlwind adventure leading her to save the entire region as she knows it - and maybe finally step out from under the shadow of her Gym Leader father. Nuzlocke-fic.


**Chapter One: New Beginnings**

With a sudden jolt, the van jerked to a stop. My head flung forward and smashed onto a box in front of me covered in packing tape and scrawled texta markings. I covered my eyes with my hands as the door opened: the light from outside was blinding after being trapped inside a van for Arceus knew how many hours. But we were finally here, and that was what mattered. Mom came out from the house, covered in dust and wearing a bandanna to keep the sweat and stray strands of hair from getting in her eyes: she must have gotten started with some of the bigger furniture before the boxes of our belongings arrived with me.

"Hello, sweetie!" she puffed, leaning heavily against the doorframe with both hands resting on her hips. "Was it strange riding with all our things in the truck?" I nodded dumbly, still reeling a little from the bumpy ride. Following her inside, she continued, obviously overjoyed at finally having someone to talk to. "Isn't it wonderful? The moving company's Pokémon do all the heavy lifting for us!"

Classic Mom. Even though she was paying for the assistance of some big, burly Machoke and Hariyama, she was still getting her hands dirty and helping them set up. She could never just sit still, she always had to be moving about and getting into the thick of it. Not to mention when things required organising – Captain Mom, with her trusty sidekicks, the red pen and the clipboard.

"So this is Littleroot Town," I muttered, looking around the quaint little house. It was smaller than I expected, and it seemed Mom shared the same view.

"It's a little bit cosy, isn't it? Life here seems much quieter, compared to what we're used to, at least!" she joked but I could tell that the rosy sheen on her cheeks wasn't just because of the heavy work. She was really enjoying herself out here. "Your father was up here before – he bought you a moving in present. Why don't you go upstairs and see?"

I trudged up the stairs, bringing a battered box of all my childhood Pokédolls with me. Dropping it just outside my door on the top landing, all the breath seemed to be knocked out of me as I pushed open the door. It was beautiful. Nothing like the poky little kitchen-loungeroom downstairs: my room was spacious, but still comfortable, with a gorgeous bed I just wanted to fall into and sleep for a million years. Looking out the window I could see the Pokémon laboratory and beyond that the endless expanse of forests that surrounded Littleroot.

On the opposite wall, however, was my present. A beautiful old grandfather clock had been set onto the wall, with a pendulum and all. It was stopped, however, so I turned the hands around to what I hoped was the approximate time and set the pendulum going again. 2 o'clock in the afternoon – the time my adventure with Pokémon truly began.

Coming back down the stairs – in much higher spirits now than before – I looked into the half-built kitchen with despair, as below my ribs my stomach rumbled violently. "Mom, could you make me so—"

"Quickly, honey, come here! Your Dad is on television!" Scrambling down the last step, almost missing it completely, I made it to the television set just in time to see the reporter cutting back to the news desk. I had not seen Dad in months: he had moved to Hoenn much before us, leaving Mom to handle all of the moving and selling our old house while he settled into the recently vacated fourth Gym Leader spot. He was world-renowned for his mastery of Normal types, but sometimes I wished he was just like every other kid's dad – at home at least some of the time, and not so demanding. Not so much of a shadow to live under.

All that aside, I still missed him, and I could tell Mom did too. "Never mind," she said, rather too cheerfully, "I'm sure you'll catch up with him soon. You'll have to go off on an errand to Petalburg sometime soon, right? Or he'll come back here," she said, and we both laughed a little at the personal joke. Dad never came home from the Gym – it was either we came to visit him, or we ate dinner alone. Mom usually couldn't handle that, though, so we hitched a ride from a passing bird trainer or caught a bus all the way there and ate out the back of the Gym, where Dad had a nice little setup going, with a stove and a microwave and a fridge. Everything a growing man needs.

I wandered back up the stairs as Mom began to dust things again, but I only got halfway up there before she called out once more. "Oh, honey," she said, absent-mindedly pushing the short brown strands back behind her ear, "The Professor next door, in the Pokémon Lab, is a friend of your father's. He has a son about your age – why don't you drop by and say hello to our new neighbours?"

I nodded. It was as good an adventure as any. Besides, it wasn't like I could get lost: Littleroot Town had an average population of about ten at the best of times. If all else failed, I would ask someone where to go, because these quaint little towns always had those folky people who loved to be helpful and know everything about everyone, right?

As I left, Mom threw her bandanna at me, wiping the sweat away with the back of her wrist. "Here, honey, you haven't had a haircut in months! Let me have a look at it?" she pleaded, but I shook my head forcefully and muscled past her and toward the door. Mom was always trying to get me to cut my hair shorter like hers, but I was having none of it. Besides, it was only shoulder length at worst. I pulled it up into two messy ponytails, one on either side of my head, and wrapped the bandanna across the top of my skull to keep the flyaways in.

Catching my reflection in the hall mirror beside the front door, I marvelled at how grown-up I looked, with my sensible black hiking shorts, and the bright red boots that matched my shirt. I had even recently bought some biking gloves in the hope Dad might finally let me have a Mach Bike on which to zoom around town. After all, there was plenty of space to ride it now, and there was less chance of me running into someone and causing a ruckus. With my hair pulled back, I smiled at myself and strode out the door. Now I looked like a real adventurer.

The Lab was only a couple of hundred feet from my house, so I walked there without much trouble, documenting the building as a landmark in case, Arceus forbid, I did actually get lost. When I got there, however, the place was empty and a sign on one of the assistant's desks read, 'Gone Exploring'. Shrugging to myself, I wandered back out and took a deep breath, looking around. Next door to our house was the Professor's house, so I thought that perhaps I might catch him at home. I could introduce myself then, and maybe even catch a glimpse of this boy that Mom was raving on about.

I knocked on the door, and it was answered by a kindly young woman with sweet eyes. She let me in without a word, sitting me down and moving to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. "You must be Brianne," she said quietly, and from the way she moved and spoke I could tell she was a gentle soul, the polar opposite of the spontaneous dynamo who was, seemingly, her husband.

"Yes, Mrs. Birch," I answered politely, accepting the proffered cup of tea with a nod of thanks. "We moved here today – well, I did. My Mom's been here a week or so."

"Oh, yes, I have met your lovely mother. I get the feeling she will be a wonderful addition to the Lonely Trainers' Wives group we have going here," she said, smiling slightly. I laughed along, but not without a sense of sadness; it must have been hard for all these women to watch their boyfriends, fiancés, brothers and husbands to go off into the world and face dangerous odds in the name of Pokémon training. Mrs. Birch especially, considering her husband was off for weeks at a time, doing research. I felt for her, and felt for Mom. Was I destined to become one of these trainers' wives, too?

As we had our cup of tea in comfortable silence, the middle-aged lady seemed to suddenly jolt back to reality. I guessed she had been daydreaming and I would rather not have woken her, so I appreciated her coming back to me. "My son is upstairs, honey. He's about your age, too, and about to start his Pokémon training." I sighed wistfully. The boy was lucky; he'd receive a Pokémon from his father and head out into the world, training and battling and raising the Pokémon he would come to love as a family. It all sounded so wonderful.

I finished the last sip of tea and set the cup down with a murmured thanks. The Professor's wife seemed to be gazing into the distance, her half-finished tea stone cold in her hands. Upstairs, I knocked on what I hoped was a bedroom door, and was greeted by a muffled, "Come in."

As I pushed the door open and stuck my head around the frame, I was greeted by a room that looked remarkably similar to mine. Same layout, same beautiful view, but minus the plush bed or the grandfather clock. I guessed that he didn't have a secret stash of Pokédolls under his covers, either. Boys weren't supposed to do that sort of thing.

He seemed not to have realised I was there until I hit my hip on the desk as I came around the corner, and he looked up, taking a moment to register I was there. He must have presumed it was his mother knocking, because he looked me up and down for a second, eyes settling on my chest for a moment too long before he whipped them away. To cover the awkwardness, he strode forward and stuck out a hand proudly. "I'm Brendan, the Professor's kid. You must be our new neighbour. Welcome to Littleroot!"

"Thanks," I said warmly, shaking his hand for a few moments and then dropping my own back to my sides. I looked around for a bit, fumbling for what to say; I really envied those kinds of people who were sociable in any situation, who were never at a loss for a conversation topic. People, seemingly, like Brendan.

"Oh! You must be the new Gym Leader's kid! I heard you were moving here from Dad, but I thought a Gym Leader's kid would be a guy. I was hoping we could be friends, or rivals even. Never mind though." He looked genuinely disappointed, and for some reason I found myself feeling sorry for having been born female. The feeling passed, however, and I tried to feebly joke my way away from the subject.

"We could still be friends, you know. We don't bite," I said, laughing and smiling, though I still couldn't meet his eyes. They were too intense for me: he seemed like the sort of kid who did everything at full pace, and never slowed down to think about things before he said them. Sort of like his dad, really.

He nodded, smiling a little as well, and then he snorted. "Yeah, that was dumb of me, wasn't it? We can still be friends. What's your name?"

"I'm Brianne," I replied, happier now that this seemed to be going better than first expected. Wait until Mom heard that I had befriended the boy next door – her overprotective Mom instincts might go into overdrive. "Your dad and mine used to be good friends, and he helped my Dad get the position at Petalburg."

The conversation seemed amiable enough, and we chatted for a while before he looked at the clock above his desk computer. "Oh, shit!" he swore, looking around frantically, "I said I'd go help Dad catalogue some of the Pokémon on route 101! Catch you later, Brianne!" He threw the last sentence over his shoulder as he rushed out the door.

I stood there for a moment before noticing a backpack on the chair. Picking it up, I was halfway through a step before the door burst open again and Brendan appeared, snatching the bag from my hands as he did a tight 180 degree turn and disappeared through the door in one smooth movement. I smiled, walking much more slowly back downstairs, where his mother gave me a knowing look and I just smiled at my feet.

Now that my errands for the day were done, I guessed I had some free time to go exploring, so explore I did. I went so far without realising it, however, that I had reached the borders of Littleroot, where the route began and the town ended. I heard a strange strangled cry, and a little girl playing jumprope next to me heard it too, dropping her game and looking at me. I looked back at her, but she pointed out into the grass, as if I were the one to do something about it. I shook my head, backing away, but the sound came again, this time louder. I grit my teeth and balled my fists, and launched out into the route, hoping against hope that some wild Pokémon wouldn't jump me the first step I took.

Luckily for me, nothing happened of the sort. And as it turned out, it was even more lucky for the figure in the distance, being harassed by a Poochyena. The sassy puppy Pokémon was barking and snapping at the heels of a man in a white coat and sandals – it was Professor Birch!

"Quickly!" he yelled, not paying any attention to me, but trying to keep those sharp teeth from snapping off any exposed fingers and toes. I looked where he was pointing – a small picnic basket was lying on the ground with one wicker flap open. Inside were three Pokéballs, each labelled with a symbol – one with a leaf, another with a flame, and the last with a water droplet. I shied away, instantly feeling a drop in my stomach. Those were Pokémon inside there, and more than that, they were the legendary starter Pokémon of Hoenn. Every child here dreamed about going to the lab and choosing between Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip. And here I was, about to meet one for the very first time.

I closed my eyes and moved my hands over the Pokéball, feeling the heat emanating from the Torchic. Moving away, I didn't think I could deal with that – fire had never been a friend of mine. I moved back towards the leaf-symbol ball, but something about the way it lazily twitched reminded me too much of a Slakoth. So it was the water Pokémon I was drawn to.

Pulling out the ball, I pressed the little white button on the side to release a Mudkip, whose excited face and instantly friendly demeanour impressed me from the start. "Good choice, Brianne," I said under my breath, and looking down at the little thing – which was now chewing happily on one of my shoelaces – I could just tell it was going to be a partnership that would last.

My joy was short-lived, however. The Professor was struggling against the feisty dog, and I pointed the Mudkip towards the Poochyena, yelling with more conviction than I actually felt, "Go, Mudkip! Tackle that puppy!" With a running start, the little water type leapt at the dark type and caught him mid-air, rolling both of them into the dark grass. I could hear muffled growls and scratches, but the Mudkip was better trained and bigger, and he came prancing out of the grass triumphantly in no time, mouth wide open in a big grin up at me.

Helping Professor Birch up, he stuttered thanks as he pulled off the tattered remains of a pair of sandals. "Looks like it's another shoe shopping trip to Lilycove for me," he muttered, pulling off the other and walking barefoot while indicating me forward too. I looked back, hesitating for a second, and the Mudkip bounded up to me and leapt towards my chest, nestling happily into my arms and taking a well-deserved nap.

We walked beside each other back to the Lab, with the Professor raving his praise and thanks to me for the entire trip. I blushed hard and played it down, looking at my shoelaces – one of which was almost entirely ruined – and mumbling denials. Birch was having none of it, however, and insisted that I come by the Lab for a proper reward. I told him I could accept any money for doing something any reasonable person would do, to which he replied, "Money? Nonsense. I have something far greater in mind for you."

When we arrived at the Lab, Brendan was waiting. "Dad! Are you okay? Why didn't you call me? Is everything alright?" Then he noticed me, with my Mudkip in tow, and his eyes widened. "Are you giving Brianne a Pokémon? I thought you weren't going to be a trainer, Brianne!" He seemed hurt and disappointed, but then his face lit up with a huge grin. "Does this mean I can be rivals with a Gym Leader's kid after all?" I nodded dumbly, still unable to comprehend all of this. It had all happened so fast, and I couldn't wrap my head around it.

However, it all crashed back down rather quickly when Birch held out his arms for the Mudkip. Was I going to have to give him back? I had hardly known the creature for ten minutes and I was already attached to it at the hip. The water type didn't seem to want to leave either, growling cutely at the Professor before I handed him over. I didn't want to have to give him up, but then again I had hardly gone through the proper protocols of owning him. In fact, technically I had stolen that Pokéball – was that the 'something greater' that Professor Birch had been alluding to?

His smile seemed to say no, however, and I relaxed. After checking over the Mudkip's bites and scratches, Birch brought him back into the Pokéball and healed him, handing me the small red and white sphere. Unsure of what to do, I slipped it into one of the loops on my hiking belt, where it nestled quite comfortably. Birch nodded silent approval, and motioned Brendan to come over. Handing him one of the other Pokéballs in the basket, the one imprinted with a leaf insignia, he smiled.

"You two are both old enough now to go onto your training journeys. Brianne, I wasn't sure about you to begin with: you were too shy to seem like the adventuring type. But you rescued me without a moment's hesitation and controlled the battle like a true Trainer." He nodded at me and clapped me on the shoulder with a large, callused hand. Turning to his son, he added, "Brendan, you've been helping me in the field for Arceus knows how many months now, and so I believe it is time you had your very own Pokémon."

Brendan gasped, taking the proffered Pokéball with a quiet reverence that seemed totally at odds with his juggernaut personality. Birch wasn't done, however. Turning around and fiddling with something behind him, he handed both his son and myself a little red object. "There are many things about the world of Pokémon that we don't know. I've dedicated my life to researching them, but there are some places even I can't go. This is where you come in." He paused for effect, allowing me to sneak a sidelong glance at Brendan, who seemed to be practically vibrating with excitement. "I want you to explore every last corner of Hoenn and gather information on every species of Pokémon. Meet them, observe them, befriend them. Fill up the pages in this Pokédex and bring them back to me to research them. You'll be my eyes and ears in Hoenn. And, of course, you can battle the gyms along the way – along the way to becoming better Trainers, and better people."

I was speechless, shocked and frozen to the spot. Brendan blurted out his thanks and rushed out the door, out onto the route most likely. I shook Birch's hand and walked more slowly out, looking down with awe at the Pokémon at my belt and the Pokédex in my hand. Who would have thought that this morning I was just another kid growing up in a deadbeat town, and now, as the sun set, I was well and truly on my way to becoming a proper Trainer! Rushing home, Mom was overjoyed to hear the news, and we called my father after dinner.

As I flopped into bed that night, I was so tired I hardly even turned out the side light. As Mom came in to tuck me in, she smoothed my hair behind my ear and sat by the end of the bed. Placing a small backpack on the bedside table, she placed a bottle of water, some spray medicine for Pokémon, a little trail food and my Pokédex inside, and beside that put a pair of shiny new running shoes to replace my old hiking boots. As she moved my belt with the Pokéball still firmly attached through the loop to be on top of my clothes for the morning, she turned away from me.

But through bleary, heavy eyes, I swear I saw a tear run down her face.


End file.
